Buckshot Target Ideas?

[squirejohn]

This Spring, at a good size rendezvous I'll be putting on a smoothbore woodswalk shoot. At one shooting station I'd like to use buckshot (limited to a max. of 10 pellets for one shot) only. Any ideas as to what would make a good target(s) for this station? :: Please keep in mind that I'd like to move the participants along as fast as possible, so I don't want to take too much time setting up or replacing targets.

 

[roundball]

Depending on the distance...you could use a clay pidgeon to give an instant visual it was hit, easy to set up a new one;
Or, some sort of steel / metallic target which would give an instant audible it was hit, and not require that it be set back up;

 

[Stumpkiller]

I would say a silouette of a buck would be a good buckshot target. :haha: Or, use a paper buck target with point rings and total the pellet score, or take the best six, etc.

 

[musketman]

Any ideas as to what would make a good target(s) for this station? ::

How about Pinatas of squirrels and game birds and animals...

You can hang them in trees and stand them by bushes... ::

You can blow the stuffing out of them...

 

[No Powder]

Start picking up those free cd for internet access that most larger stores give away. They make great targets and are easy to tell when they have been hit.

 

[squirejohn]

Thanks for the feedback. Originally I thought of useing clay pigeons at various distances and aspect and giving so many points for the number hit i.e. try to "line up"
as many pigeons as possible and take your shot. The pigeons wouldn't be that closely aligned but I doubt most have patterned their smoothbores and would be suprised at the results. However I didn't want to be bothered running up and setting new clay pigeons (or computer disks) after each shot - not that I don't need the exercise but could take too much time. The deer target is a good one but again too much time replacing the scoring sheet or taping and scoring on the spot. I have a bunch of animal steel (old boiler plate) targets which I'll be using for some of the single round ball shot, but I'm not sure if I could hear or see hits with buckshot. However you did jog my memory and I do have a bunch of old circular saw and weed-whacker blades that should ring and move if hit with a pellet; but I don't know if they will hold up. I'll "line these up" and see if this works. PINATAS! this sounds pretty exotic. Where can I buy 100 monkey and parrot pinatas and a big pinata bug that leaks green blood /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

At the club where I shoot we hang those lightweight steel targets from screen door springs. They ring, bounce and dance real good! Settle down pretty good for second shots too. I'm sure your shooters will be suprised at the dispersion of their patterns out at 25 & 30 yards if they haven't patterned. Most folks think buckshot cuts down everything in front of the muzzle from here to eternity. Good luck.

 

[musketman]

PINATAS! this sounds pretty exotic. Where can I buy 100 monkey and parrot pinatas and a big pinata bug that leaks green blood.

http://www.pinatas.com/

http://www.auctionworks.com/storefrontprofiles/deluxeSFshop.aspx?sid=200401191030200000000042521065&sfid=19186&c=6335

http://store.yahoo.net/jacco-gigglespinatas/index.html

 

[squirejohn]

Musketman, I thought you were joking (you've been know to do that). I never knew there were commercial pinatas. I guess people will make and sell anything to make a buck. Anyway they're too pricey.

 

[musketman]

Have the kids make paper mache animals and paint them...

Here is a paper mache recipe for you, you can make them using old news paper...

http://www.planetpals.com/papermache.html

 

[squirejohn]

Thanks Musketman, The pinata targets seem as though they would make fun targets for an informal get together in the "back forty" where no one keeps score. Have you tried these out? What did you use for stuffing? At this rendezvous shoot there are many serious competitors and I feel all shooters should have exactely the same opportunity such as distance, target size, and/or target choice. I think this would be too difficult to acheive with the pinata targets. Also I don't know how they would perform and how to score. For example, maybe a direct hit with a 12g buckshot load at short distance would "blow up" the target, but what about a .54c smoothbore that only hit the target with a couple of pellets? How would you know unless each target was examined carefully after each shot? Even then it may be difficult to even see these hits. To keep from getting "strung up" I'll go with targets where there is no question about a hit or miss. Since this is my first attempt to put on a woodswalk for a large group (I've set up some smaller club shoots where screw-ups can be rectified), I want to make sure there are no gliches. I do appreciate you input as well as the other forum members who responded -THANKS TO ALL!!!

 

[Deadeye]

Balloons.